Table.
Summary of Focus Group Questions and Themes
| Questions | Consensus Themes |
|---|---|
| Weight terms | |
| • What does is it feel like to have your pediatrician describe your child as “at risk for overweight”? . . . as “overweight”? . . . as “obese”? . . . as “chubby”? . . . as “big boned”? | Theme 1: Parents prefer the terms obese and overweight. |
| Theme 2: Terms like big boned, chubby, and at risk for overweight are confusing, potentially offensive, and should be avoided. | |
| • Do you consider these terms motivating, offensive or neutral? | |
| Weight risks | |
| • What does is it feel like to have your child described as “at risk for diabetes”? . . . as “at risk for heart disease”? . . . as “at risk for being teased”? | Theme 1: It is important for pediatricians to discuss health risks for being overweight that are specific to an individual family. |
| Theme 2: Social risks are not appropriate for pediatricians to discuss. | |
| • Do you feel that these risks would motivate you to action? | |
| • What are the physical, social, or emotional signs that would indicate weight is a problem for your child? | |
| Barriers to diet and activity recommendations | |
| • What are the barriers for you to restrict your child s sweet drink intake to 4 oz per day or eliminate it entirely? | Theme 1: 100% juice does not count. |
| Theme 2: There is no problem with eliminating other drinks. | |
| Theme 3: Children will respond with behaviors such as tantrums, whining, and crying. | |
| • What are the barriers for you to increase your child s fruit and vegetable intake to 5 servings per day? | Theme 1: Children refuse to eat vegetables. |
| Theme 2: Fruit consumption is not an issue. | |
| • What are the barriers for you to restrict your child s screen time to less than 2 hours per day? | Theme 1: Educational television or computer programs should not count. |
| Theme 2: It would be difficult to limit television during inclement weather. | |
| Theme 3: Television time doesn t require close supervision, which allows parents to complete chores and other tasks. | |
| Strategies for pediatricians to address weight status | |
| • How would you advise pediatricians to motivate parents to action regarding healthy nutrition and activity? | Theme 1: Pediatricians should demonstrate the relationship between both juice intake and weight, as well as screen time and weight. |
| • What should pediatricians do to help parents achieve these goals? | Theme 2: Parents need specific strategies for implementing recommendations. |
| Theme 3: Parents want information about how to manage child reactions to dietary and activity changes. | |
| Theme 4: Pediatricians should bring up weight status and be direct about it. | |
| Theme 5: Pediatricians should follow-up with families as they make changes. |